Blame it on the Hormones
by Agent 00-Pi
Summary: Ash gets hits by an errant Attract attack, and the effects have him feeling a little...feminine.
1. Introduction

**Blame it on the Hormones**

**Introduction**

The sun shone brightly, beaming down on the forest, with its trees and dense undergrowth. Nearby, there was a meadow with a clearing. It was without a doubt the perfect spot for a Pokemon battle.

Which was precisely what was occurring. 13-year-old Ash Ketchum found himself in a battle for what had to be the zillionth time, facing the usual young and peppy trainer that had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

That seemed to happen a lot here. Well, wherever here was. True to form, Ash's crew was lost. That was no surprise at all, given that he, 15-year-old Misty, and 18-year-old Brock often got lost.

At least, they had the first time around. Since Misty had rejoined them 6 months before, they hadn't gotten lost once- until recently. A mishap with the map and a campfire had seen to that. Still, that didn't matter at the moment, for Ash was locked in battle with the young man. His Skitty seemed overmatched, and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Ash almost felt bad for the kid. He had sent out Pikachu, but this was more of a sparring session for his best friend than an actual battle.

"Okay, Pikachu! Let's use Quick Attack!" he cried.

"Skitty! Use Attract!" the boy countered.

"Attract? That's an odd move, don't you think?" asked Brock out loud. "That won't affect Pikachu unless his Skitty's the opposite gender."

Misty absently looked on, clearly bored by the whole process. Ash, meanwhile, was focused on the battle. As expected, the Quick Attack worked. Skitty's Attract was way off, and Pikachu proceeded to knock the small Pokemon loopy with the attack's impact. Still, the cat wasn't out of it- Not by any means.

"Skitty! Use Attract again!" the boy called out.

"Pikachu! Dodge it!" Ash countered.

That proved to be the fatal flaw in the battle. Not for Pikachu, of course. The Pokemon battle here was well in hand. However...

Skitty spun loopily around, and the beam from the Attract attack was way off balance. Undaunted, the Pokemon tried again. This one was even farther off target, nearly hitting Misty and Brock in the process. They dove for cover, causing Ash to look their way.

"Are you guys okay?" he yelled.

"ASH! Look out!"

He turned just in time to see another Attract beam coming his way. He didn't have time to dodge it. It plowed into him, and the surprisingly strong impact knocked him backwards. His head hit the ground, and he slipped smoothly into unconsciousness.

* * *

He awoke, groggily, to Misty and Brock talking worriedly.

"It's so strange...I've never seen the Attract attack do this kind of thing before...I'd call for help, but I don't know where to go...and I don't know who'd believe us anyway." That was Brock's voice, sounding slightly overwhelmed

"Maybe if that stupid kid hadn't gone and run away, we'd be able to straighten everything around!" That was Misty, clearly angry.

Ash's eyes fluttered open. "Hey..." he said, somewhat weakly. "What happened?"

Brock and Misty glanced at each other nervously.

"Well, you see, Ash..."Brock began.

"You got hit by an Attract attack..."

"And it seems to have had a bit of an effect on you..."

"And you kinda transformed..."

"Into something that...was...well, attractive, at least according to that Pokemon..."

"Not to mention a few others" growled Misty under her breath.

Ash looked back at them. "Guys, you aren't making any sense. How bad could it be?"

"Well...umm...Ash...you might want to take a look at yourself" Brock stammered.

He looked down. His body seemed a little banged up from the fall, and it did seem like maybe his breasts had swelled a little bit and- Wait a minute! HIS WHAT?

Ash's eyes opened wide in a panic, as his hands flew to his chest, confirming quickly that it now contained two large and very real mounds of flesh. Instinctively, he reached down towards his jeans and immediately confirmed the worst. Somehow he was a...a...a g-...a, a...

Girl.

His eyes widened even more. "Shit..." he whispered.

And he promptly fainted once again.

* * *

Author's notes: I've always wanted to get something posted on here, but my stories always end up being long and slow to develop, so this is an attempt at something shorter. I intend to post more chapters, though how quickly, I'm not sure. Enjoy!


	2. Waking Up

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Just like everyone else here, I don't own Pokemon, and I'm doing this onlyfor fun.

**Blame it on the Hormones**

**Chapter 1- Waking Up**

Ash's eyes snapped open, and a sudden rush of sunlight and darkness caused him to recoil. It was morning. Morning? His brain raced. Last he remembered, it had been afternoon, and he had been in a meadow. Now, however, he found himself in the midst of a forest. Trees surrounded him, and dark shadows mixed with the bright sunbeam that had just decided to blind him. This must have been where he had ended up after the Pokemon battle.

_The Pokemon Battle!_

Memories rushed into his brain as he recalled the events of the previous day. The battle, the Attract attack, and waking up to...a rather unpleasant surprise. Once again, his brain reacted, and he instinctively looked downward at his body. A slight yelp of surprise escaped his lips.

He looked normal. Perfectly normal, in fact. No breasts to speak of, and a quick check of his jeans revealed that everything else was normal, too. He pinched himself.

"Ow!"

Yup, he was awake. His brain wasn't making this up. And that meant his brain was really, really confused. He scrambled up out of his sleeping bag, startling a snoozing Pikachu. Ash paid no notice, however, as he was focused on trying to find Misty and Brock. He couldn't seem to spot them...though that would be because he was looking the wrong way.

"Morning, Ash! How did you sleep?" That was Brock, calling out a greeting as he cooked breakfast. Misty sat nearby, munching on the meal that Brock had cobbled together.

Ash spun around and found his companions nearby. He quickly ran over to them.

"Misty! Brock! What happened to me? How did we get here, and how did I get back to normal!?" He seemed a bit panicked, which obviously made no sense.

"Ash, what do you mean, how did you get back to normal?" Brock asked patiently. Misty, on the other hand, rolled her eyes.

"I mean, how did I get back to being me?!" his voice cracked slightly as it rose. "Today I'm me, and yesterday I was a...a...a...

"A what, Ash?" asked Brock.

"A girl!"

Two pairs of eyebrows arched and two pairs of eyes looked at him as though he was crazy.

"It's true!" he shouted. "I was, I even had...well, you know" He pointed downwards towards his chest.

Again, two surprised pairs of eyes looked at him.

"I had boobs!" he wailed, spitting out the last word as though it were a spoiled brussel sprout. "I was battling a trainer in a meadow, and it was afternoon, and I got hit by a Skitty's attract attack, and I turned into a girl, and I had boobs, and then suddenly I was here and it was morning and we're back in the forest and then I didn't have boobs and I don't know how it all happened!!!!"

At this point, he was hysterical and nearly hyper-ventilating. The bastion of compassion (not) that was Misty responded, since she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Ash, that's preposterous!" she yelled as she gave him a dirty look. "We've been in this forest for over a week, and we haven't seen a human of any sort in days!" "You probably just had a bad dream or something!"

He looked to Brock.

"She's right, Ash. Remember, we spent most of the day yesterday trying to search for food."

Again with the memories flooding into the brain. The actual memories of the day seemed to ease back into his head. He'd been exhausted when he'd finally gone to bed, because they'd been searching for food, and hadn't succeeded, meaning that their supply was running desperately low.

"Oh...but, then...how did all of those memories get there? It seemed so...so real?"

"Oh come on, Ash-**Surely** you've had dreams before?" That one came sarcastically from the mouth Misty. Gee, she was awfully grumpy this morning.

"Well, yeah...but this one seemed so much more real..."

"Real or not real, Ash, it was a dream. You're a boy, not a girl, and none of us have seen a meadow or a Pokemon trainer or a battle since we entered this damn forest!" Yup, Misty was definitely cranky. That meant, as usual, that it was time for Brock to diffuse the situation.

"Here, Ash, have some breakfast. I'm sure if you have some food, you'll start to feel okay again."

"Thanks" Ash took the plate handed to him and ate breakfast with the overwhelmed silence of someone who'd had a most unusual morning. He set down his fork only when he received a visit from his furry yellow friend.

"Pika?" came the inquiry from Pikachu

"Hey Pikachu…how're ya doing this morning, buddy?"

"Chaaa" the Pokemon yawned sleepily. Ash couldn't help but smile as Pikachu proceeded to wonder back over to the campsite and curl up in a ball. He finished his breakfast, and the day began to move along. The group had indeed been lost in these woods for a full week, and they needed to find a way out soon. They were tired, dirty, and grumpy, and their food supply would be low. Brock had perhaps the best attitude of the three, but even he was worried at this point. Misty was grumpy as ever, and Ash was simply preoccupied after the previous night's vivid dream. They shuffled off into the shadows of the forest, and yet another day began.

* * *

Unfortunately, it was a day that didn't go well. Food wasn't anywhere to be found, and neither was a way out. The day had pretty much turned into one big argument, and pretty much nobody was enjoying themselves.

Again.

"Can we please stop for dinner?" Ash moaned . "Sooo…hungry……

"Ash, would you stop your bitching!" Misty yelled. "We're all hungry, and we haven't eaten since breakfast! So shut your damn trap!"

"Misty…language…" Brock wearily admonished. He sighed. Whoever had taught that girl to swear had not done the world a favor. On the plus side, Ash hadn't fought back all day, which was unusual. He still seemed to be in a funk over the dream he'd had that morning, and he lacked his usual enthusiasm.

"We need to keep walking, guys" he continued, "at least until we find some food. I can't make some dinner until we get something edible, because we're almost out." He sighed again, and the group continued walking along silently.

A short time later, Pikachu scrambled off Ash's shoulder, and scrambled into the undergrowth. None of the group paid it any mind at first- This wasn't at all unusual from Pikachu, after all. However, a triumphant cry was soon heard.

"Pika Pi! Pi pika chu!"

Ash ran over towards his Pokemon. "What is it, Pikachu?"

"Look guys, there are some berries here!" added Misty, seeming happy for the first time all day.

"Hmmm….." Brock peered in closer to look at the berries. They were an odd purplish-pink color, and round. "Guys, hang on a second . We need to take a closer look at these before we have any of them. I don't want anybody eating any until I'm sure- ASH! What are you doing?" He seemed annoyed as he looked over at the younger boy- who already had a handful of berries in his mouth.

"Whuh? They wook good!" He swallowed. "Mmm….they taste good, too!" He grabbed another handful. Brock gave Misty a look, then sighed.

"Well, it looks like it might be okay, then." He grabbed a couple of berries, and Misty did the same.

"Let's give it a try, then. Can't be too bad."

He popped the berries into his mouth. At the same time, so did Misty.

"Uggggh!!!!"

"Blech!"

A variety of retching and gagging sounds filled the air. Clearly, Brock and Misty were not taking to the berries well at all.

"Ash…"Misty choked out "these berries are disgusting!"

"No…..kidding…….." Brock added. "How can you eat these?"

He clearly didn't hear. He was, plain and simple, stuffing his face with the berries. Brock and Misty sighed and watched the gluttony commence. After he had had his fill, they proceeded onward. They walked in silence for a while, but the silence was not surprisingly broken, this time by the one person in the group who was quite happy at this point in the day.

"Wait, what are we looking for now?" asked Ash.

"You know, some of haven't eaten yet, Ash" steamed Misty.

"I've still got some berries if you want some", he offered.

"No thanks, Ash." She rolled her eyes. "I had more than I wanted the first time."

He had packed as many of the berries as he could into his bookbag, and continued to snack on the berries occasionally as he walked. Everyone else, however, remained hungry. Or at least, they had up to that point.

"Umm, guys…I think our dinner problem's taken care of" Brock stated rather plainly.

He was right, of course. In the fading light of the evening sun, they had come across a small clearing. A small creek ran through, and there was a tree with fruit nearby. Fruit that actually looked edible this time.

"Alright!"cried Misty. "Time for dinner!"

"I'll have something cooked up in no time!" added Brock.

"Pika!"

"Well…"smiled Ash "Nothing wrong with seconds!"

* * *

Night had fallen, and the moon poked out amongst the clouds, shining down on the quiet woods below. A small campfire sent up a weak plume of smoke, and three sullen figures sat by the dying flames. The female, whose hair was an unnaturally bright shade of red, spoke first.

"Sigh…we've been lost in these woods for over a week, and no sign of the twerps at all."

Her male companion spoke next. His hair, an unnatural shade of blue, stood out even in the dim light of the night.

"No sign of any dinner, either…"

"Yeah. Or any sign of a sleeping bag, for that matter."

The third voice belonged to a small, talking cat, better known as Meowth. The three sighed before lamenting once more.

"Looks like Team Rocket's down and out again……."

* * *

Meanwhile, at a nearby camp, several figures slumbered silently. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu had had a nice dinner and a pleasant evening for once. Happily, they had curled up into their sleeping bags, and drifted off into sleep. The wind rustled in the trees, and Ash's eyes popped open, albeit briefly.

"Whuzat?...hmmnmmm….must be the wind….."

He drifted off once again. Just like that, he heard his alarm ring.

"Ash, sweetie! Time to get out of bed!"

He mumbled something incomprehensible, then got slowly to his feet.

"Your clothes are on the dresser, honey. Make sure to get changed before you come down for breakfast!"

"Okay, Mom!"

He walked over to his dresser, but found only a tank top and a skirt. Those couldn't be his clothes, could they?

"Hey Mom, something's wrong with my clothes!"

"Well, what do you mean, Ash?"

"Well, they look all g-…g-…girly!"

His mother laughed.

"Of course they do, silly! Why shouldn't they look girly?"

It was only then, that he noticed the mirror. He wished he hadn't. His figure stared back at him, clad in only a bra and panties. And the goods to match.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

Author's Note: That's the end of Chapter 1. Hope you like it! Feedback would be greatly appreciated, as it helps me see how I'm doing as an author. 


	3. Tummy Troubles

**Blame it on the Hormones**

**Chapter 2- Tummy Troubles**

The morning started simply but beautifully. The sun rose overhead, and the chatter of the nearby brook (and maybe a bird Pokemon or two rustling in the trees) provided a pleasant backdrop for those around. Ash stirred in his sleeping bag, and opened his eyes to the beautiful scene in the forest around him. Wait- the forest? He had been in his bedroom, and had looked in the mirror...

"Wah!"

He jolted awake, and fumbled around in his sleeping bag, trying to free his hands. Once he did, he began to check himself for evidence of….unusual characteristics. He felt normal, which took his brain a second to register.

"Must have been another dream…" he thought. "Sure didn't seem like it, though. It was too real. I was a g..g-girl again." He shuddered involuntarily- the sight of his own bra and panty-clad reflection in the mirror had seemed so real. Still, it was clear that nothing of the sort had happened. It was a beautiful morning, so he decided to get out of bed, sliding out of the sleeping bag and sitting down nearby.

"Pika Pi!"

Pikachu came racing over and jumped up into his trainer's arms to say good morning.

"Hey, Pikachu! Looks like a nice day today!"

"Cha!"

He smiled.

"Ash! Come on over and get some breakfast!" yelled Brock. The smile widened, and the welcoming invite was quickly accepted. Thankfully, there was enough food in the area that Brock had been able to make a nice, nutritious breakfast to start the day, and that fact combined with the sunny weather seemed to put everyone, even Misty, into a good mood.

"Morning, Ash! How did you sleep?" she asked with a smile.

"Umm…not too bad." He was lying, of course, but that was because he had decided not to say anything about the dream this morning…at least not around Misty, that was for sure. She'd gotten mad at him yesterday, and there was no reason to try and make her mad again. He'd be better off keeping this dream to himself, he reasoned.

Brock handed him his food, and Ash dug in with his usual gusto.

"Mmph…this is…..really……good!" he interjected between bites.

"I'm surprised you've still got any room in there, Ash. You stuffed yourself with berries and dinner yesterday." Brock chuckled as he said this.

"Oh, come on, Brock. This is Ash we're talking about here. He's got the stomach of a Snorlax!" Misty giggled at her own analogy.

Ash rolled his eyes and continued eating, while Brock served out some more food. They continued on with their breakfast, laughing and smiling all along. It looked, for all intents and purposes, that it would be a good day.

* * *

For once, Mother Nature had decided to cooperate with the request for a nice day. The temperature was comfortable- not too hot, not too cold, and though more forest travel was in store, the trees had at least thinned out some, letting sunlight filter through occasionally to provide a welcome ray. Several of the (smaller) Pokemon had been let out to enjoy the day as the group broke for lunch. It was early afternoon, and the trio of trainers had set up shop in a small clearing in the trees, with Brock doing the cooking as usual. They still had fresh fruit left from the day before, so more was used to prepare the day's lunch.

"Here we go, everybody! Once again, a nice fresh lunch from next to nothing!" Brock seemed a bit more jubilant than usual at his cooking prowess.

Misty smiled. "Thanks, Brock!" Her good mood today was certainly welcome, especially since she had had the personality of a Rhydon the day before.

Brock handed a plate towards Ash, who surprisingly passed. "You're not hungry?" Brock asked incredulously. "You said a few minutes ago that you thought we should stop for lunch!"

Ash shrugged. "I know I did...but my stomach apparently overruled my brain. I'm just not feeling hungry right now."

"Alright then- your loss!" said Brock, who proceeded to delve into his own cooking.

"Ash isn't hungry?" Misty asked in mock horror. "Quick, send in the police! Something must be wrong!"

She smiled, and he rolled his eyes.

"Pika?"

"Sure, Pikachu- You can have some if you want."

"Chaaa!" Ash couldn't help but smile at his Pokemon's exuberance. Even after several years out on the road, Pikachu was as energetic as ever. He layed back on the grass, resting while the others around him were eating. The suddent spurt of tiredness had surprised him, but he paid it no mind, and soon got back to his feet as the group broke camp and continued traveling.

Traveling, unfortunately, had become a boring experience lately. Typically, their journeys meant meeting new people, seeing new Pokemon, and experiencing new parts of the world on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, weeks like this one happened occasionally, and were not what one would call fun. This week, instead of the usual excitement they had seen trees. Lots and lots of trees. There hadn't even been any trainers in these woods, and the Pokemon were few and far between. It was something of a lonelier existence than Ash was used to, and he was really looking forward to getting out of the woods and into the nearest city or town.

They had to find it first, though, and that was still proving difficult.

"Brock said last night that he thought we were getting close." Ash thought to himself, "Although he said he wasn't completely sure." He smiled, suppressing a bit of a giggle. Misty had at that point asked Brock why he wasn't sure, which was a loaded question, since Brock was the one who had accidentally lost the map. She had then proceeded to cuss him out, which had been interesting for Ash to watch, given that he was usually on the receiving end of those cussing rants. "Better him than me..." he thought.

A slight pang of pain from his stomach caught his attention, reminding him of his earlier indiscretions.

"I shoulda had some lunch...my stomach's starting to hurt. I really still don't feel hungry, though..."

His stomach had been bothering him since lunchtime, as a bit of a stomachache seemed to be building. It wasn't really bothering him too much...but at the same time, he didn't want it to get any worse. Hungry or not, a snack was probably in order. He grabbed a small granola bar from his bag (noting as he did that he stash was nearly out), and munched on it lazily as they walked.

"There we go", he thought. "That ought to hold my stomach over until dinner."

He tossed the empty wrapper in his bag, and continued trudging onwards through the endless woods.

* * *

Several hours later, though, it was clear that hunger hadn't been the root of his stomach pain. The granola bar hadn't helped a bit, and if anything, had made things worse. Still, he kept it to himself, lest Misty whack him silly for whining. He'd made that mistake more than he cared to, that's for sure.

However, if he was trying to hide the fact that he wasn't feeling well, he wasn't doing a very good job. Brock had been watching throughout the afternoon as they walked, noting that Ash seemed to be lacking his usual pep in his step.

"He didn't look all that energetic yesterday, either" noted Brock to himself. As the group's elder statesman, he took it upon himself to keep an eye on Misty and Ash, and this seemed like a cause for concern.

"Ash, are you feeling okay?"

"Whuh?" He seemed as though he'd been lost in thought or something.

"I said are you feeling okay?"

"Oh...well, yeah, I guess so." He paused, then continued, hoping Misty spared him the mallet. "My stomach's a bit sore."

"Shoulda had some lu-unch!" Misty called over playfully in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, but I had a granola bar earlier." He countered.

An idea crossed Brock's mind. "Maybe it's the berries from yesterday," he offered.

Ash glanced over at Brock. "Yeah, but that was yesterday."

"You did eat an awful lot of them, Ash." Misty reminded him. "Still, you've got a point. Brock, if those were going to make him sick, wouldn't he have gotten sick already?"

"Hmm...yeah, probably. Still, you never know. Berries can have weird affects sometimes."

"Well, on Pokemon, yeah" she countered, and the discussion was off. Back and forth they bantered playfully about berries, while the original subject of the discussion just kept walking and trying to ignore the growing pain in his stomach. Thankfully, at least one member of the group was paying attention.

"Pika pi!" The pokemon's cry got their attention, snapping them back to their current surroundings.

Amidst all of the discussion, the group had failed to notice something. Namely, that the area around them was gradually growing lighter, and the trees were growing thinner. And that if you looked closely enough, you could see...

"Look, there's a clearing over there!" Misty was the first to notice. It wasn't far, maybe only a couple of minutes or so on foot. They walked over, and suddenly found themselves out in the open. An open meadow had suddenly popped up, and they were out of the shade of the trees and into the late afternoon light. Finally, they were out of the woods.

Ash felt like he'd seen it before for some reason. "It's almost like the meadow in my dream" he mused, far louder than he intended to.

"Forget the dream, Ash! Look at this!" Misty seemed even more jubilant now. She had reason to be. There was a road sign nearby, and it indicated some good news. "It says Route 42's right over there!"

Sure enough, about a half mile away, a large walking trail could be seen.

Brock smiled. "Just what we were looking for, guys! Route 42 leads to Cypress City!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Misty was really excited now, in the way that only a girl who'd been without a shower for a week could be.

They headed quickly and jubilantly for the trail, while Ash followed slightly behind, his stomach still hurting. Perhaps if they quickly found their way to this city, he could get some rest or food or something.

* * *

Unfortunately, just because the trail was nearby didn't mean the city was also nearby. The city itself was a solid 8-9 miles away, so they'd been walking for over an hour and they still hadn't made it. By this point in the day, everyone was getting pretty tired, and Ash's stomach was feeling even worse. So much so, in fact, that he hardly noticed when the group reached the top of a hill and finally found themselves looking down upon Cypress City.

"Finally..." Misty seemed more weary than joyful at this point.

"Well, it looks like we'll at least be able to sleep indoors rather than outside tonight." Brock commented.

"Yeah...that'll be nice." Misty replied.

Ash, however, said nothing. Misty took no notice, but Brock did.

"Ash, is your stomach feeling any better at all?"

He grimaced. "Not really..." he mumbled. In fact, it continued to get worse. He wasn't truthfully sure if he had had a stomachache this bad in his life.

Brock glanced over and thought about something for a second.

"Misty, I know that right now, you just want to get some dinner and a soft bed, but I think we need to get Ash to a doctor. He doesn't look very good..."

She looked over at Ash, as visions of a hot shower flitted through her head. She sighed. Damn it...Brock was right. Ash didn't look well at all. "Yeah, you're right." She responded wearily. "We'll stop at the Pokemon Center and ask them how to get to the hospital." The comforts of the city would have to wait for now.

The Pokemon Center was located, as was often the case, very close to the center of the city. The group quickly found their way to the entrance, and were about to walk in when Brock noticed something.

"Um, guys...the hospital's right next door."

Misty looked up. "Oh. Guess we shoulda seen the big red cross and giant sign, huh?"

Brock grinned wistfully as he looked up at the sign. "Yeah, probably so."

They took Ash inside, and Brock went up to speak to the receptionist. A short time later, a Nurse came out into the lobby.

"Ash Ketchum?" she asked.

Nodding, Ash got up slowly and followed along, while Brock, Misty, and Pikachu did likewise. Ash was led into a small patient room, and the others moved to another waiting room. Once inside, he dutifully laid down on the patient table until the doctor came in. It didn't take too long before a tall man with graying hair walked in.

"Hello, Ash, I'm Doctor Schocter. What seems to be the problem today?"

"My...stomach...hurts..."

"Well, let's take a look and see if we can figure out what's wrong, then."

The doctor then proceeded with his exam, asking him a variety of questions, and checking temperature and other vitals. Meanwhile, out in the waiting room, Pikachu sat dejectedly, waiting for word on his trainer.

"Chaaa..."

"Don't worry, Pikachu," Brock consoled, "I'm sure Ash is fine."

"Probably just ate something he shouldn't have" said Misty with a giggle, though she was admittedly a bit worried herself. Seeing Ash sick certainly wasn't preferable for any of them.

The clock on the wall slowly ticked away, while some rambling talk show played on the TV. Brock left briefly to go to the cafeteria, and brought back some food for each of them. Night fell, and darkness enveloped the city out beyond the small windowpane.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came out, and headed over to Brock and Misty.

"Looks like your friend will be just fine. He seems to have gotten some sort of food poisoning or stomach flu, so we gave him some medicine. Any idea if he might have eaten anything unusual?" asked Dr. Schocter.

"Well, there were some berries..." began Brock.

"Told him he shouldn't have eaten so many" Misty interjected, spitting the words out forcefully enough to cover up her relief that Ash was, in fact, okay.

"What did they look like" asked the doctor.

"Well, I think he's still got a few in his bag, actually" stated Brock.

"May I take a few so we can examine them and a run a few tests?"

"Sure, not a problem"

The exchange, was made, and the doctor began to walk away.

"So, umm, can we see him now?" asked Misty quietly.

The doctor turned back towards the group. "Actually, the medicine that we gave him makes patients extremely drowsy, so he's already asleep. We're going to keep him overnight for observation, but he should be good as new in the morning. In the meantime, I suggest you folks head on over to the Pokemon Center next door and get some rest."

"Thanks. We'll do that." Brock added as the doctor walked away.

"Chaaaa..." moaned Pikachu.

"Don't worry, Pikachu, he'll be fine." Brock consoled. "Come on guys, let's get going."

They walked out of the waiting room, back into the main lobby, and out into the dark and silent nighttime streets of Cypress City.

"So, the doctor said Ash should feel better in the morning" Misty said to no one in particular. "That's good."

"Yeah, it is." Brock added. "We'll go pick him up in the morning and then go buy some supplies before we head out."

With that, they walked into the Pokemon Center, and bid goodnight to the world.

* * *

Out in the alleyway, a creature stirred, moving steathily through the streets of night. It darted and dodged, making its way back to the outskirts of town. Near the edge of the forest, a campfire burned. The two occupants looked, as usual, rather dejected, hardly paying their approaching counterpart anymind.

"Meowth's back, Jessie" James reported glumly.

"Yes, James, I see that..." she was too tired to even properly snap at him. "What've we got, Meowth?" she asked.

She couldn't see the mischievous glint in the dark.

"We've go ahselves an oppahtunity, that's what!" the Pokemon triumphantly announced. "The twoip's sick, and he's stuck in the hospital till tomorrah without the other twoips!"

Jessie and James perked up at this news.

"Meowth, you're a lifesaver! James, do you know what this means?" Jessie cackled.

"Ooooh, yes!" James squealed. "We're going to steal of the twerp's free fruit cups!"

His excitement was quickly deflated by a well-earned and well-placed slash to the face by Meowth.

"No, you numbskull- We just sneak in, grab Pikachu, and the twoip won't be feeling well enough to fight back! We'll have a Pikachu to get to da boss, and I'll finally be da top cat!"

The Rocket rejoicing commenced, and a plan soon followed. As the night grew darker, they snuck off to begin their conquest, chanting excitedly as they went.

"Looks like Team Rocket's back on track again!"

**End Chapter Two**

* * *

Author's notes: Decided to continue with this- I hope I've still got a few readers out there, and maybe I'll pick up a few new ones. Got an outline of the next chapter going, and I hope to post it sometime within the next week or two.

Hope you're enjoying, and feedback is always appreciated!

* * *


	4. Dream On

**Blame it on the Hormones**

**Chapter 3- Dream On**

"Ash, wake up! It's time to go!!" Mrs. Ketchum's voice rang out shrilly.

Ash stirred from slumber and slowly opened his eyes. Everything was still blurry. Mrs. Ketchum came walking into the room to once again try to rouse the slumbering trainer.

"C'mon, sleepyhead. You've got an appointment for a haircut, and then we've got some clothes shopping to do, so get up!"

"Ohkay, ohkay...." Ash mumbled groggily as he finally climbed out of bed. The next few minutes were a blur, and before he knew it, the haircut approached. Something wasn't right, though. The place they were heading for didn't look like a barber shop....it looked like a salon.

"Mom, why are going here?" came the question.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie, they'll do a wonderful job!" Mrs. Ketchum replied perkily.

They stepped inside, and he was quickly whisked away by an equally perky hairstylist whose nametag read "Natasha". Before he knew it, his head was being rinsed and shampooed in a freezing vat of cold water.

Shivering, he was led to the stylist's chair and joined again by his mother. The conversation was almost too perky to listen to, but he managed to catch the drift. It soon turned alarming.

"Alright, ma'am, what kind of style do you want for Ash here? Such beautiful hair, we can do almost anything with it." Natasha cooed. Mrs. Ketchum giggled.

"Well, I think we should leave that up to Ash. What do you choose, sweetie? Layers? Maybe a perm? Something short?

"Psh, that's easy" he thought.

"I choose...." the words caught in his mouth, and he hesitated. He had just gotten a close glimpse at the mirror, which seemed to suddenly shine brighter. How had he not seen this before? His black hair, wet and shiny from the rinsing, hung down far below his shoulder blades. It looked different, like, like......girl's hair. A familiar sense of dread came over him.

"Oh, fuck......"

Before that thought could be finished, a knock on the door jolted Ash, and he awoke with a start. It was still dark, and hard to see, so he wildly searched about for his bearings. The door opened, and two shadowy figures appeared. What little light that slid through the door revealed a bed, lightly painted walls, and polished white floors, and he remembered that he was in the hospital. He vaguely recalled coming here and falling asleep last night (or was it this night? He had no idea what time it was...), but that was about it. Hesitantly, he called out to the two figures at the door.

"H-hello....?"

The lights flicked on, and two female nurses stood before him. They looked, to be honest, a bit weird. One had bright orange hair that almost had to have been a wig of some sort (as well as an inflatable bra, unbeknownst to Ash), while the other had red hair pulled up in a bun that looked strangely familiar, for some reason....

The red-haired one spoke first.

"Why, hello there, Patient Twerp, er, um, Ketchum." She smiled. "We've come to give you a checkup!"

"Yes, that's right." Squealed the orange-haired one in an impossibly whiny falsetto that made Ash's ears hurt. "We're here to harm, I mean make sure that nothing else harms you!"

"And in your condition, we certainly want to make sure that you don't get harmed by any Pokemon- You need your rest after all!" wheedled the redhead.

"So we're going to help you feel better by removing all of the Pokemon from this room so you can get your rest!" squealed the orangehead, making Ash cringe once again.

"So just hand over your Pokemon, and we'll be on our way." the redhead remained cheery.

Ash searched for his pokeballs and Pikachu, and saw signs of neither. "Umm...my Pokemon aren't here....."Ash replied groggily.

The nurses looked ashen. They huddled together, whispering angrily.

"I thought Meowth said that Pikachu would be here for the taking!" snapped Jessie.

"I thought so, too!" replied James.

"Ooh, I'm going to kill that mangy little-"

Her whispering was cut off abruptly by a large two large hands. One clamped down on the should of each "nurse".

"Well, there you are!" Doctor Schocter sounded genial. "I've been looking all over for a couple of nurses, and here they are! I see you're checking in on this patient. Is he doing well?"

They nodded nervously.

"Good to hear! In that case, time to get back to work! Mr. Ellers needs his bedpan changed in 205, and Mrs. Everett's due for a sponge bath in 211! Chop chop!"

"But, but...." James feebly protested.

"No buts about it!" Doctor Schocter proclaimed, dragging the two stunned "nurses" out of the room. He shut the lights off on his way out, and a confused Ash quickly fell back asleep.

* * *

The day was bright and sunny, and the ocean water beckoned invitingly as the sandy beach sparkled in the sun. In a nearby changing room, Ash found himself a bit confused. He found himself holding a small yellow piece of fabric with spots all over it.

"Misty, what exactly are we up to again?" he asked loudly, though she was only in the next stall over.

"Seriously, Ash, weren't you listening?" she snapped. "It's a beautiful day! We're going to get our asses out there on the beach and enjoy it!"

"Then what's with this little piece of fabric? It's not big enough for a towel." He whined.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash, we talked about this. It's an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie yellow polka-dot bikini. We're all wearing them today."

"Even Brock?" he asked incredulously.

Misty snorted, unable to hide her disgust any longer. "No, not Brock, you idiot. Just us girls."

Us girls?

Ash looked down.

Oh, right. Those things again. Damn....

* * *

A ray of sunshine hit Ash's face, and he stirred once again. He opened up his eyes, and a flash of light temporarily blinded him. He could hear Brock and Misty talking nearby. Misty! That's right, he needed to talk to her about this bikini thing....he didn't really want to do it.

"Misty....I don't think I wanna wear a bikini....." His speech still sounded groggy.

Misty couldn't help but giggle- the statement was so absurd, she just couldn't keep a straight face.

"Ash, I think you're dreaming again." she smirked. "Trust me, I don't think any of us would want to see you in a bikini."

"Whuh?" Ash blinked a few times, and his surroundings came into clearer view. He was once again back in the hospital room, and it was most definitely morning.

"Oh....another dream", he thought. That was weird....

Brock and Misty were standing nearby, and they were joined by a very excited Pikachu. Upon seeing Ash wake up, the Pokemon jumped up onto the bed to see him.

"Pika pi!" the rodent happily squealed.

"Hey, buddy, good to see you" Ash hugged his friend.

"Cha!"

"So, how do you feel this morning, Ash?" Brock asked, snapping Ash's attention back towards the two humans in the room. Ash hadn't thought about it until Brock said something, but, come to think of it, his stomach did feel better.

"Well, actually, a lot better...My stomach doesn't seem to hurt today, and I think I feel okay."

He held back from discussing the weird dreams, however. There had been three last night- Two that had involved him being a girl, and a really weird one where he thought he had seen Team Rocket dressed up in bad nurse's costumes trying to steal his Pokemon. Better not to mention that for the moment.

"Well, good to hear", said Brock. "The doctor says that you should be fine, and you probably got some sort of food poisoning from something, maybe all of those berries you eat."

Misty shot an "I told you so" look at Ash, and Ash, whose brain was finally beginning to wake up, stuck his tongue out at her.

After a pause, Ash opened his mouth again. "So, then…am I going to be stuck here for the rest of the day?"

"Doesn't look like it to me!" There came the booming voice of Dr. Schocter, surprising everybody as he walked into the room straight and erectly, with a doctor's air of confidence. "Your vital signs look good, and it seems like you're feeling well, so as soon as we get you some breakfast, you and your friends can be on your way. "

Ash smiled, and at the same time, his stomach growled. "Yeah….I'd say breakfast sounds good."

"Just make sure you don't overdo it again, like the berry incident" deadpanned Doctor Schoctor. Ash smiled, everyone in the room had a chuckle, and the day was off to a great start.

A short time later, with some breakfast in hand, the trio was back on their feet, and ready to leave the hospital. The doctor escorted them towards the door, though he pulled Brock aside just before the exit.

"Now, I've sent away those berries for tests. Shouldn't be any issue and whatnot, but those types of berries aren't usually intended for human consumption, so try and make sure he stays away from stuff like that in the future."

"Will do." Brock replied. "The way he eats sometimes, you'd swear he thinks he's got the stomach of a Steelix. Thanks much for your help, doctor."

"Not a problem. We'll contact you if there's anything important you need to know about those berries. You have a cellular phone, yes?"

"Of course." Brock gave him the number, and with a handshake, he rejoined the trio outside the building, and they went on their way.

The town of Cypress City was oddly-named. There were no Cypress trees in the surrounding forest, and no Cypress trees in the city itself. Instead, rows and rows of three-and-four story apartments buildings and businesses lined the neat, tidy streets. It was a busy city, but there just wasn't a lot to do if you were a Pokemon trainer, a fact that wasn't lost on Ash.

"So, then, what exactly is our plan? There's no gym in this city, right?"

Misty rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. Brock was kinder.

"That's true," he noted "but this town is known for its harbor. We need to catch the ferry here and head over towards Sprucecove Town, because that's the starting point for the rest of the journey- four more badges to go still, after all."

Ash ran his fingers absentmindedly over his badge pouch, which already had four completed badges. "I still don't get why a league would be set up that way", he noted.

"Well," Brock continued "if I remember correctly, there were two small countries that wanted to host their own Pokemon League, but neither had enough big cities to pull it off on their own, so they joined together to form a league."

"Well, I suppose not everyplace can be a Kanto or Johto, huh?" Ash countered.

That was true. Badge quests out here weren't as easy as they had been in Kanto, with its neatly spaced towns and well-groomed walking routes and trails. But Kanto had been conquered, which was why new challenges abounded for the trainer. Challenges that usually involved longer, less-traveled journeys between cities.

"Right, Ash. At any rate, that means we have to take a long boat ride to get there."

"Funny you remember all of that without a map, Brock" Misty bantered playfully. (Brock, after all, had lost the previous map.) He simply glared back at her before continuing. "We also need to buy some supplies and food, so we can avoid getting lost again. So the next stop is the store."

Conveniently, they had arrived at a pokemon-themed department store (one of the few resources for trainers in Cypress City). While they shopped away, others in the town weren't having such a good day.

* * *

Two exhausted nurses slumped down in a break room at the Cypress City hospital. They had been working non-stop since about 4 in the morning, and they were bushed. The red-headed one fidgeted nervously. "James, we should make a break for it while he's not looking!" she hissed.

The orange-haired one adjusted "her" very fake torso ever so slightly before responding back in a trademark whine. "Jessie, I can't….I'm so tired, I don't think I even have the energy. That doctor won't let us out of his sights long enough to escape!"

"Well, think of something! The twerp is getting away, off to who-knows-where right now!" she hissed back.

Before he could respond, both nurses were once again alerted to the presence of Doctor Schoctor. "All right, you two, time to get back to work! Mr. Willis in Room 208 has had an accident, and I need you two to clean up after him."

The nurses slunk off silently. They sighed. "Looks like Team Rocket's cleaning up again….."

* * *

Outside, the sun continued to shine brightly, and the unmistakable scent of the ocean permeated the many docks down by the marina. Ash, Misty, and Brock had had a successful lunch and shopping trip, and with supplies in hand, they were ready to leave this land and hand onward to the next.

Once they had found the ferry service that they thought they needed, they walked up to the window. Brock led off, as always.

"Three tickets to Sprucecove Town, please"

"Sure thing! Your timing couldn't have been more perfect!" replied the smiling brunette behind the counter.

Brock could have floated away. She was so beautiful. "No, my dear, perfect….perfect is what you are. Such a perfect flower of a wom-OW!"

Misty had yanked him by the ear, dragging him away. "Damnit, Brock, I thought we talked about this!". Some things never changed.

The brunette sweatdropped, the continued. "At any rate, the next boat leaves in 45 minutes! It'll take about six hours to arrive in Sprucecove Town, so I'm afraid you won't be able to set out from there today, but you'll get dinner on the boat tonight, and there are plenty of places to stay the night in Sprucecove Town."

"Sounds great!" shouted Misty, as she continued to hold Brock at bay.

Ash handed her some money, procured the tickets, and they were on their way. 45 minutes went by quickly and without incident, and soon they were on the S.S. Essex, headed across the seas. Ocean spray floated all around the passengers as they took to the deck, and watched Cypress City fade into the distance. The sun was shining, and a new adventure awaited.

On the deck of the boat, Misty couldn't help but smile. "Great day for a boat ride".

"Sure is!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Pika-pi!!!" The exuberant Pokemon's cries made everyone smile.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Pikachu" grinned Ash.

What a fine day, indeed.

**End Chapter 3**

Author's Notes: I took a, uh, slight break between chapter. No guarantees when the next chapter will drop, but this project is by no means dead.


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